1 113 



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PS 3501 
.B9 D8 
1913 
Copy 1 



^be (Prairie Club 



Cbicago, flUinots 



''Duna 
The Spirit of the Dunes'' 

A Masque 

By Mrs. Jacob J. Abt 



Presented by the Prairie Club in the Dunes 

near Tremont, Indiana, on the Occasion of 

the Dedication of the Beach Plouse, on 

October 19, 1913. 



■^'b^^-^<6 






PERSONS 



Duna, the Spirit of the Dunes Elizabeth Brownell Crandall 

The West Wind Studley 'Burroughs 

The East Wind W. D. Richardson 

The North Wind • Ivan Waterbury 

The South Wind Edgar D. Mohan 

Vassals of the East Wind. 

Laura I. Davidson Lilian M. Belfield 

Margaret M. Lawler Mary Barr Fletcher 

Vassals of the North Wind. 

Catherine A. Powers Helen Chamberlin 

Dorothy A. Hughes Laura E. Henning 

Vassals of the South Wind. 

Clara Fahrenbach Eva May Goodwin 

Fay McConkey Louise E. Neville 



Copyrighted 1913. All rights reserved. 



0)C!.D 34943 



^ 



SCENE— The Dunes. 

[Enter Duna.] 

Diina'- — 

No more my lagging steps can bear me on, 
And dull my eyes grow with too eager gazing; 
And Hope that once with vital throbbings pulsed 
Lies fainting in this breast nor will revive, 
In this forsaken haunt I'll stay my course 
Till yonder sun has sought his vesp'ral couch, 
Then with the silv'ry moon once more I rise 
To seek with yearning arms my loved home. 

[The' song of the West Wind is heard softly in the distance.] 

Duna: — 

That song, that haunting song again I hear 

That sighs and swells and woos with burning strains 

Till all my senses reel and robbed of will 

I follow blindly on where lures its spell. . 

O thou my spirit's home, sound loud thy call 

And drown that voice that holds me in its thrall ! 

[She holds her hands to her ears and turns away from the voice.] 

[Enter the West Wind. His flowing hair, on which a bird with out- 
stretched wings is perched, reflects the sunset glow. Joy is in his light step. 
He carries a lute. From his shoulders, mantle-wise, hangs a carpet of 
tender grasses.] 

IV est Wind:— 

Sweet lady, do nof haste away. 
What evil can betide you. 
If here awhile your steps you stay 
And I recline beside you? 

Duna-' — 

urge me not, but let me go; 
Too long you would delay me. 
Your witching voice, alas ! I know. 
It seeks but to betray me. 

West IViiid: — - 

Nay, lady fair, you do me wrong; 
My strength would but uphold you. 
My bride I seek with wooing song — ■ 
My love would fain enfold you. 

Your beauty rare, of elfin grace, 
(I've watched its daily flow'ring). 
With rapture makes my pulses race 
In ecstacy o'erpow'ring. 

1 hide within the sun's bright beams 
And sport among your tresses; 

I waft you nightly tender dreams 
With fairy-soft caresses. 



On summer's filmy wings I fl}% 
My sunset home forsaking. 
With lilting song and fragrant sigh 
Your slumbering bosom waking. 

be my love, and you shall know 
Delights beyond the telling — 

Our hearth shall be the sunset glow — 
In verdant fields our dwelling. 

We'll dance across my prairies free. 
We'll lightly scale the mountains, 
And all our blissful days shall be 
Like sprays from sun-kissed fountains. 

[He spreads his mantle.] 

Come, sweet, this grassy mat shall be 
A winged bark to guide 
Upon a smiling summer sea 
The West Wind and his bride ! 

Diina-' — 

Nay, you must bide. I will not rashly yield 
To passion's wayward sway my purpose high — 
For pleasures soft I am not fashioned. 

The lust of tumult surges in my veins ; 

The raging stress of longings wild I know ; 

The brooding song of wind-tossed waves I hear — 

1 hear it now — or do I dream again? 

O tell me true, what wondrous place is this? 

IV est Wind:— 

Strange fancies these. No beauty here 
Save only thine, sweet maid — 
No sound save love's voice calling clear. 
Come ! greet him unafraid. 

[Enter the East Wind. Seaweed is entwined in his yellow hair and 
forms round his neck a chain, from which a mother-of-pearl horn is sus- 
pended. His dress is yellow like the sand. From his shoulder floats a bil- 
lowy, sea-green scarf with foamy white edges. At his approach the West 
Wind dons his mantle, with which he screens Duna from view.] 

East Wind: — 

What, thou ! I vow 'twas not thy voice I heard. 
Alone? or is it that thou bidest tryst 
With some fair light-o'-love thou'st newly won? 
O brother! when wilt leave thy dalliance soft? 



Diina- 



Ah, 



East Wind: — 

[Thrusts West Wind aside and sees Duna stand with covered face. He 
falls on his knees.] 



East Wind: — 

My Queen ! 'Tvvas thou I heard ! 

'Twas thou I felt ! 

And now, O say not I am come too late ! 

Thou'rt still that Presence free, that untamed sprite 

For whom long vigil prayerful I have kept. 

M'^est Wind-' — 

What folly this? Art mad? Thy austere life 
Delusions strange hath brought to mar thy peace, 
Come, Sweet, I prithee leave this madman's side. 

Duna : — 

Ah. no ! It is we were mad. both thou and I. 
Thou that my untamed spirit thou wouldst chain. 
And I, that gave an ear to guileful speech. 
But, haply, "now that madness brief hath passed. 

[To the East Wind.] 

Arise! and tell me all I fain would know; 
How fares it here — is this my loved domain? 

[The East Wind leads her to a throne-like seat fashioned of leafy 
boughs.] 

East ]]'ind: — 

Here rest thee on this leafy seat, for thou 
Must wearj' be. I fear, and sadly spent. 

Duna'- — 

Not so. For joy hath caused that weariness 
That like a low'ring cloud m\' soul oppressed. 
A mist hath fallen from mine eyes. I see 
About me sylvan scenes more wondrous far 
Than in fair dreams I pictured fond their beauty. 
Say on. What hast thou wrought? I long to hear. 

[The West Wind, who has been impatiently attending, draws nearer as 
the East Wind speaks, and at last sits at Duna's feet, absorbed in the recital.] 

East Jl'ind:— 

In sooth, not idle have I been since first 

I knew that there thy dwelling place should be. 

I've stormed and raged across the waters blue 

Till, panting 'neath me rose the swollen waves, 

In anguished labor broke against the shore 

And brought forth grains of purest golden sands 

To make for thee a worthy couch, my queen. 

And then again with moaning sound I rose 

To drive before me all those gleaming grains 

That make these wondrous shifting hills thou seest, 

So thou shouldst never weary grow nor sad 

X^'ith gazing on a never changing scene. 

Duna: — 

How hard, how cruel hard has been thy lot ! 



East Wind-' — ■ 

I have not said how many joys are mine. 
The Httle wavelets wait with glee my coming. 
With gentle breath I blow them to and fro, 
And oft on sea-weed chains I've helped them string 
The fragile shells, to guard for thine adorning. 

Duna'- — 

I seem e'en now to feel their soft caressing — 
But tell me more. 

East Wind'- — 

I pray thee let me sound 

The tidings glad of this, thine home-coming. 

[He sounds a ringing call with his horn to the North and again to the 
South. The North and South Winds enter on eager flying feet. The North 
Wind wears a gay coat of dappled autumn colors. His cheeks are rosy 
and his eyes are young and keen, but his hair falls snowy white about his 
shoulders. The South Wind is a languid youth, soft of speech, his eyes 
dark with reverie. His raven hair is crowned with a garland of gentian.] 

The North Wind:— 

She's here. 

The South IV hid:— 

She's here. 



Both:— 
Duna: — 



O Queen, we hail thy coming! 

O happy day that finds me safe at home 
With you, my friends and faithful servitors. 
Now let me listen whilst the tale you tell, 
The stirring tale of all your mighty deeds. 

South Wind: — 

No deeds of valor mine. A dreamer I, 

Queen. Hush'd dreams of sacred beauty stir 
Within my poet's breast. And when no more 
My heart can hold its rapture full, I speak 

And flowers spring from up the earth to paint 
With prismy colors pure my dreams divine — 
When melts the last of Winter's snow and earth, 
Her gladness sings with tender songs and green, 

1 spread beneath thy feet my carpet blue, 
My thoughts of heav'n, my lovely violets. 
And then I scatter winged fancies round ; 
Hepatica, so faintly purple tinged ; 

The frail anemone on slender stem ; 

The care-free daisies dancing on the green 

And starry grasses bright with gleaming eyes; 

And phlox and columbine, and lupine loosely spiked; 

While through the air a subtle fragrance steals 



From blossom-ladened bush and tree distilled — 

I lift my eyes and see ! The golden rod 

Still flaunts his yellow crest, and redly glows 

The scarlet painted cup. The aster blooms 

In gracious purple clusters. All are thine, 

To fill with gladness all thy waking days. 

I crown thee with these gentians fringed with hope ; 

A pledge of joy that knows no halt nor end. 



Diina: — 



I take thy pledge and feel that this is true; 
Such loveliness as in this spot abounds 
Must evermore and everm.ore endure. 
And thou, O knight of unaffrighted eyes 
That bold defy Old Age's ruthless hand. 
Speak thou, the whilst thy message we attend. 
North Wind:— 

Queen, a selfish joy is mine, in that 
Thou camest when with radiant harmony 

My brush doth Autumn's glory loud proclaim. 

1 splash my colors with a wanton hand, 
Flamered, and gold and brown and dappled black. 
For fain thine eyes with teaming life I'd fill 
Before the hush of night's gray pall descends. 
And then when heavy droop thy lids and wan, 

I spread a downy blanket light as foam 
So that thy lovely form may warmly rest 
In deep untroubled sleep till morning's dawn. 

Diina: — ■ 

Such sweet repose thy words bespeak, I greet 
W'ith joy the grasp of slumber's heavy hand. 

North Wind to East Wind: — 

Wilt, brother, call our loyal company to hail 

Their queen before her couch she seeks. "i 

[East Wind sounds a musical call.] 

M'est Wind: — 

I, too, would first acclaim thee fairest queen, 
Before with grieving heart I from thee part. 
And yet I murmur not, since 'tis decreed 
That virgin thou shalt ever reign and pure, 
Whilst I thy lover evermore must be. 
And sigh and woo, nor ever hope return. 

[Exit the West Wind, sadly singing his song, as the vassals of the Winds 
enter. Those of the East Wind wear flowing robes of green and white and 
bear golden cornucopias filled with sand which flows gently to the ground 
as they kneel before the queen. Those of the South and North Winds bear 
ofiferings of flowers and autumn leaves, which they bank about the throne, 
circling about Duna to the music of the West Wind's song.] 



LIBRftRY OF CONGRESS 

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LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 

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